You can’t buy the Galaxy Nexus from a U.S. carrier just yet, but that’s isn’t stopping early adopters from getting their hands on Samsung’s newest phone. After reading reviews and tweets from happy owners, I decided to pull the trigger on my own. Hello Android 4.0! Read more »
Just three weeks after lowering sales and revenue expectations, HTC has reduced guidance again, and not by just a little. The holiday season in a growing market should bring about increased sales, not lower figures. So what’s the problem with HTC, and what can it do? Read more »
Have you seen the latest Samsung Galaxy S II ad that pokes fun at iPhone buyers? It’s controversial for sure, but in some ways, Apple, too, has set a condescending tone for non-iPhone owners in its own ads. Check out the video and cast your vote. Read more »
Smartphone and tablet maker HTC may dip a toe in the Chromebook pool. But based on reportedly low Chromebook sales, it may be a puddle, not a pool. HTC has shown product innovation before, but does it make sense to build a Chromebook now? Read more »
Smartphone adoption may be high in the U.S. but overall smartphone sales are highest in China, with Nokia and Samsung leading the pack. Combine subsidies and numerous Android devices with an expected billion mobile connections and I’d say you’ve got the recipe for another smartphone revolution. Read more »
Holiday shoppers seeking a tablet bargain have another option: Research In Motion has slashed the starting price of its BlackBerry PlayBook line by $300, meaning it’s only $199 for the 16 GB version. But more PlayBook sales could actually be worse for RIM. Here’s why. Read more »
Nokia’s sales of Windows Phone handsets aren’t impressing at least one analyst, who has drastically cut quarterly estimates from 2 million to 500,000 sales. With the two-horse race between Google Android and Apple iOS, it’s tough for Nokia to gain traction, even with outstanding hardware. Read more »
We’ve seen Android 4.0, also known as the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Google’s mobile platform, on a phone, but not on tablets. That changes with this video from Nvidia, showing off 1080p video and 3D gaming thanks to the Tegra 3 inside ASUS’s Transformer Prime. Read more »
I’ve spent nearly a week using the latest 7-inch tablets (or are they e-readers?): the Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire. In this video, I share an overview of both devices and I offer a purchase recommendation: The device choice depends on what you want to do. Read more »
Although I like the Kindle Fire, I purchased a 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab last year, and there’s just way too much overlap between the two devices. I decided to change that, by adding some of the Amazon Kindle Fire software and user experience to my Tab. Read more »
This week’s audio podcast is all about the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet: our likes, dislikes, tweaks and who should (or shouldn’t buy) one of the two new low-priced e-reading tablets. Plus: a secret on how Amazon built their interface atop Google Android! Read more »
Windows Phone owners may want to connect their device to a computer and check for updates. I just did and found a software release that added the long-awaited Internet sharing feature for my HD7 handset. So now the question becomes: MiFi or handset as personal hotspot? Read more »
A new PwC survey shows more than half of the polled smartphone owners use their handsets for three activities each day: basic communication, accessing news, weather or sports and social network usage. By 2013, more than 40 percent expect their activities to expand to other apps. Read more »
I doubt mobile computing will evolve to computers on a USB stick for most people, but this prototype is intriguing. Thanks to an HDMI port, the stick — which has the guts of a smartphone — connects to a monitor for standalone computer use. Read more »
After buying a Kindle Fire tablet and sharing first impressions, I received a Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet review unit, so I’m giving equal time to the new Nook. Here are my first 30 minutes’ worth of impressions to share on the hardware, software, and user experience. Read more »
Two big mobile app stores aren’t good, says Morgan Gillis, executive director of the LiMo Foundation. Citing barriers to consumers, carriers and developers, Gillis is looking for a “service neutral” app ecosystem, but at this point, such an effort is akin to spitting in the wind. Read more »
In a poll asking which brand of tablet people expect to buy, the Yankee Group found that Amazon was already the No. 2 response, behind Apple. The 13 percent choosing Amazon exceeds that of Samsung, Motorola, Research In Motion and HP. Price and ecosystem are key. Read more »
Tablets began outselling netbooks earlier this year, but the small laptops still have their fans. One person created a list of 101 things a netbook can do and it’s a great read. But I’d argue that most consumers are moving away from such traditional computing activities. Read more »
You may not care who makes the processing chip in your smartphone or tablet yet, but if chip makers have their way, you will in the future. Qualcomm is expanding its lineup of games exclusive to devices running on its Snapdragon processor, similar to Nvidia’s TegraZone. Read more »
Batteries continue to be the bane of mobile devices, but research done at Northwestern University could change that, with longer-lasting batteries that charge in minutes, not hours. Imagine a battery that lasts 10 times longer than today’s power packs with a 15-minute recharge time! Read more »
After deciding if I wanted a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, I pre-ordered Amazon’s tablet just two days ago and it arrived at my home office today during lunch. Here are my first 30-minutes worth of impressions to share on the hardware, software, and user experience. Read more »
Dedicated e-reader sales aren’t growing as fast as those of tablets, but are still expected to nearly triple in the next five years, reaching 67 million sales by 2016, according to Juniper Research. Even with the growth of tablets, I agree with Juniper for several reasons. Read more »
For those who ever wanted their own Street View car, similar to Google’s camera on wheels used to capture images for Google Maps, there’s now a small robotic version made out of LEGOs. It’s another example of the growing opportunities that connectivity and sensors bring us. Read more »
Early reviews of Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire tablet appeared on Monday, in advance of the device being received by customers. What’s the verdict? It all depends on what you’re looking for in a tablet, but here’s a sampling of review thoughts and commentary from Twitter. Read more »
PogoPlug continues to pivot from simple hardware for remote file access to true web storage. The new PogoPlug Cloud blends locally stored files and online content for easy streaming, sharing and storage. Think Dropbox, but with added access to a home hard-drive with near-limitless capacity. Read more »
Smartphone adoption in the U.S. continues to rise as the average cost of devices is down. According to the NPD Group, the average up-front cost is $135. Of consumers planning to spend between $200 and $250, 64 percent spend less because of cheaper but capable devices. Read more »
Both the Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet start shipping after mid-week as fairly similar, low-cost options. You can’t go wrong with either 7-inch slate, but one is a better choice for me. Here’s which one I chose and why. Which interests you more? Read more »
Join Matt and Kevin for the weekly mobile tech podcast. On tap: An interview with Stephen Elop and hands-on impressions of Nokia’s Lumia 800 start the show, the new Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet, upcoming AT&T smartphones and new Android tabets; now with quad-core processors! Read more »
New Android devices launched this week, but I’m intrigued in a older one. Can Samsung’s Galaxy Note be both a take-everywhere phone and tablet? Asus debuted its Transformer Prime with Nvidia’s Tegra 3, while the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet show off as low-cost tablets. Read more »
Many mainstream consumers were introduced to mobile video chat via Apple’s FaceTime service, but video calling from phones has been around for a while and works on regular cellular networks. Now that we have a number of mobile video chat services, which are you using? Read more »
Notebook makers are reportedly bidding on chip supplies from both Intel and those provided by vendors using the ARM architecture, presumably to compete better on pricing with Apple. The real story is that the next round of chip wars between Intel and ARM licensees is here. Read more »
The store of the future has yet to be imagined if Venky Harinarayan, SVP Walmart Global eCommerce and Head, @WalmartLabs, is correct. His organization is experimenting with integrating social, search and shopping experiences for both retailers and consumers. Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy Note straddles the line between smartphone and tablet, thanks to the 5.3-inch display. As voice calling has become a secondary feature for some smartphone owners, is the next growth market one filled with these devices that double as both smartphone and tablet? Read more »
Nokia is sharing a video on the design process for its Lumia 800, and after watching it, I’m struck by the similarities to prior Apple iPhone videos I’ve seen. Talk of integrated design between hardware and software is clever: It’s the same approach Apple uses. Read more »
T-Mobile USA reported a net gain of 126,000 subscribers in the most recent quarter, marginally increasing its total subscriber base to 33.7 million customers, while data revenue per customer grew as well. Without an iPhone, the carrier is focused on value plans and fast mobile broadband. Read more »
The HTC Titan arrives on Nov. 20 as AT&T’s largest phone yet, thanks to a 4.7-inch display. Priced at $199 with two-year contract, the Titan runs on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 platform and offers the same mobile broadband capabilities as Apple’s iPhone 4S on AT&T’s network. Read more »
Nvidia is the first chip-maker to deliver a quad-core mobile chip, the Tegra 3, for use in Android devices. I’ve argued in the past that throwing hardware at Android tablets won’t sell more of them, but the timing of this new chip just might be right. Read more »
Google’s Android platform already powers phones and tablets, and now it runs on a wrist too: WIMM Labs started shipping its WIMM One wearable computer to developers for $299 on Wednesday. The color display works smartphones but thanks to apps, can be a standalone device too. Read more »
Nokia phones are known for taking excellent photos. Then again, the new iPhone 4S has an improved camera too. Which is better? It’s too early to tell, but here are a few images taken with the default settings on an iPhone 4S and Nokia Lumia 800. Read more »
Verizon is tops with 63 percent of the world’s current LTE subscriber base, according to Informa Telecoms & Media. But the U.S. carrier isn’t resting on its laurels. It now offers a promotion that doubles the monthly amount of LTE data for smartphones at no extra charge. Read more »
